Automatic balancing mechanism for flying-machines.



L.LUKAG& AUTOMATIC BALANCING MECHANISM FOR FLYING MAGHINBS.

A APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1911. 1,022,793, A

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBKA PLANOORAPH CU\VI\SHINGTON n. c.

24 2-! AERONAUTIUS L. LUKACS.

AUTOMATIC BALANCING MECHANISM FOR FLYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1911.

1,022,793. Patented Apr.9,1912.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES NVENTOR ATTORNEY L. LUKA GS.

AUTOMATIC BALANCING MECHANISM FOR FLYING MACHINES.-

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 7, 191 1. 1 ,022,793. Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

' 6 SHEETS-SHBBT 3. a Q

(Wu L W I TN 5 5 E 5 Z44! AtHUNAUHUS L. LUKACS.

AUTOMATIC BALANCING MECHANISM FOR FLYING MACHINES.

' APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7 1911. 1,022,793. I Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

HYHE- I s L [U] [A Y Y INVENTOR i a g/ ,2 ATTORNEY L. LUKA GS.

AUTOMATIC BALANCING MECHANISM FOR. FLYING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1911.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

aL/IUORNEY ZHw HEHUNHU l lbb L. LUKA'OS.

AUTOMATIC BALANCING MECHANISM FOR FLYING MACHINES.

APPLIGATION FILED SEPT. 7, 1911. 1,022,793, Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. u. c.

m: MALQEHUIH STATES P LAZAR mines, on NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR orONE-FOURTH 'ro'JoHN sztics, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC BALANCING MECHANISM FOR FLYING-MACHINES.

7 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LAZAK LUKAcs, a subjectof the King of Hungary, and resident of the city of New York, in thecounty of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Automatic Balancing Mechanism forFlying-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to aeroplanes, and has for one of itsobjects to generally improve and simplify the construction of the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide means, whereby the aerialvessel will be automatically returned to a horizontal position, or inother words, whereby its equilibrium will be automatically maintained.

lVith these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear asthe nature of the invent-ion is better understood, the same consists inthe combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter fullydescribed, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be madein the size and proportion of the several parts and minor details ofconstruction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantages of the invention.

A few of the many possible embodiments of the invention are illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an aerial vessel constructed inaccordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a. similar elevat-ionof a modified device; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a detail of constructionof the vessel shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 1 is a side elevation of anothermodification; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the vessel shown inFig. -41; Fig. 6 is a plan view of a detail of construction; Fig. 7 is aside elevation of the detail shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a side elevationof still another modification of the vessel; Fig. 9 is a side elevationof a further modification of the invention; Fig. 10 is a front elevationof a detail of the vessel shown in Fig. 9; Fig. 11 is aside elevation ofa still further modification of the invention; Fig. 12 is a sideelevation of a detail of construction of the device shown in Fig. 11;Fig. 13 is a section taken on line 1313 Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 7, 1911.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

Serial No. 648,084.

of Fig. 12; Fig. 14 is a section taken on line 14l1t of Fig. 12; Fig. 15is a plan view of a portion of the frame of the vessel shown in Fig. 11;Fig. 16 is a side elevation of a11- other modification of an aerialvessel constructed according to this invention; Fig. 17 is a detail ofconstruction of the vessel shown in Fig. 16; Fig. 18 is a side elevationof a further modification; and Fig. 19 is a front elevation of part ofthe vessel shown in Fig. 18.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the numeral21 designates the frame of the vessel, made of a suitable light andrigid material, and mounted upon wheels 22, 22, facilitating thetransportation of the vessel and aiding the ascent of the same. Theframe is usually made in the form of a cage, and to its top is attachedthe glider frame of the machine, comprising a frame 23 of light andrigid material, pro vided with a covering of silk or other suitablematerial, forming thereby an aeroplane. The glider frame is properlystrengthened by vertical rods 24, which are connected to the frame bystay-wires 25, 25, to give the glider frame the required rigidness.Obviously one or more glider frames may be used according to therequirements.

A suitable source of power for actuating the propelling means of thevessel is provided, said source of power comprising in the present casean internal combustion engine 26, which is diagrammatically shown in thedrawings. This internal combustion engine includes, for instance, ahorizontally arranged cylinder 27, provided with trunnions 28, which arejournaled in bearings 29, carried by longitudinal bars 30 of the frame.Upon the horizontal crankshaft 31 of the engine is mounted a screwpropeller 32 of the required size and pitch, and acting in a manner andfor the purpose to be described.

The automatic balancing mechanism of the vessel comprises a pendulum 33,having at its upper end a spindle 33, which is oscillatably mounted inthe frame of the machine, its lower end, which extends as near aspossible to the bottom of the vessel, being made in the form of a seat33", upon which the aviator, and, if necessary, the passengers can becarried. The pendulum is provided with a rigid vertical extension 34;,to which is pivoted an actuating rod 35,

extending to the front of the machine, and being there pivoted to a lug27 upon the cylinder 27 of the motor 26.

In the rear of the machine is arranged an auxiliary poiser plane 36,attached to a spindle 36, which is oscillatably arranged in the frame ofthe vessel, and carries fixedly attached thereto a sheave 37, over whichruns an endless cord or wire 37, extending over a sheave 37", which isfixedly attached to the spindle 33 of the pendulum 33.

To guide the vessel in the horizontal plane a steering plane 38 ispivoted at 38 to an extension 21 of the frame of the vessel, said planebeing connected by means of wires 39 with the shaft 40 of a steeringwheel 40, which is arranged in front of the operators seat. Similarmeans may be employed for steering the vessel in the vertical plane, thesame has not been shown, however, as it does not form part of thisinvention.

The operation of this device is as follows: It seems it is necessary todescribe only the function and operation of the balancing means, sincethe operations of the other elements of the vessel are well known. Themotion of the pendulum 33 is utilized for controlling the positions ofthe propeller 32 and of the poiser plane 36 relative to the frame 21 ofthe vessel. If, for instance, the front of the machine tilts downward,the pendulum will maintain substantially its vertical position. It willthereby vary by the intermediary of the actuating rod 35 the angularposition of the propeller 32 relative to the frame of the vessel, andalso the relative position of the auxiliary poiser plane 36 to the mainframe 21, and to such an extent as to restore the equilibrium of theaerial vessel. The same conditions will, of course, exist when the backof the machine tilts downward.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings a modification of the device is shown, whichdifiers from the one illustrated in Fig. 1 in that the pendulum 33 isarranged centrally upon the main frame 21, and furthermore that thefront wheel 22 of the frame is utilized as the steering means of themachine. For this purpose a portion of this front wheel is covered by asuitable fabric 22 and its fork 41 is oscillatably arranged in a tubularmember 41 in the frame, and provided with an operating rod 41 extendingbackward within the reach of the operator. This rod is provided with ahandle andis adapted to be shifted into notches;42, 42, of an arc-shapedsupport 42, whereby the front wheel 22 will be held in predeterminedposit-ions. The operation of this de--- vice is, otherwise, in allrespects identical 'with that shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Another modification of the device is shown in Figs. 4 to 7, inclusive,in which the main frame of the apparatus is indicated by the numeral 43,and rests upon wheels 44 and 44. The front wheel 44 serves at the sametime as a steering means in the horizontal plane, its construction neednot be described, however, as it has been fully explained in connectionwith Fig. 2 of the drawings. The equilibrating means comprises in thiscase also a pendulum, indicated by the numeral 45 and provided at itslower end with a seat 46. This pendulum projects through a longitudinalslot 47 in a spindle 48 above the plane of the glider frames 49, whichlatter are rigidly fastened to the frame 43 of the vessel. The spindle48 is oscillatably journaled in brackets 50, 50, which are attached inany suitable mannor to the frame 43, and the pendulum 45 is connectedwith the spindle 48 by means of a pivot 51, which extends at rightangles to the longitudinal axis of the spindle 48. Obviously thependulum is permitted thus to swing forward and backward, and alsolaterally. An upwardly extending bar 52 is rigidly attached to thespindle 48, and connected by means of an operating rod 53 with theengine cylinder 54, the latter being oscillatably mounted upon the mainframe of the machine in a manner hereinbefore described. The crankshaftof the engine is denoted by the numeral 55, and carries the propeller56. The end of the pendulum, which projects above the glider frames, isconnected with the latter in the following manner: To the outer side ofeach glider frame are attached the ends of a flexible wire or rope 57,in engagement wit-h a sheave 58, the block of which is connected by awire 59 with the upper end. of the pendulum 45.

The operation of this device is as follows: When the machine tilts infront or in back downward, the pendulum, acting upon the screw propeller56, will cause the machine to return to its normal position. In thiscase, however, no movement is imparted by the pendulum to the aeroplanes49. If the machine tilts laterally, the pendulum will swing around itspivot 51 and shift the aeroplanes 49 with the frame back to their normalpositions. When tilting forward or backward, the sheaves 58 will simplybe shifted upon the wires or ropes 57 without influencing the positionsof the aeroplanes 49.

A further modification is illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings, inwhich a frame 60 is supported by wheels 61 and 62. The propeller isdenoted by the numeral 63, its shaft 64 being journaled in bearings 65,65. Upon this'shaft' is mounted a sprocket wheel 66, meshing with achain 67, the latter engaging a sprocket wheel 68 upon the crankshaft 69upon the motor 70, which is in this case mounted upon the bottom bars ofthe frame 60. The aeroplane 71 is pivoted at 72 to the top frame membersof the frame 60, and upon one of its trunnions 73 is mounted a worm gear74, meshing with a worm 75 upon an operating rod 76, which is rotatablyjournaled in bearings 77, carried by the main frame. The lower end ofthis operating rod is provided with a hand-wheel 78, which is locatedwithin the reach of the operator, who is carried by a seat 79 upon thependulum 80, the latter being mounted upon the frame in the same manneras the pendulum 45 upon the device, shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Theupper end of the pendulum which extends above the aeroplanes isconnected with the latter in the manner shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.The spindle 48 of the pendulum 80 is in this case provided with twoupwardly projecting extensions 52, 52', which are connected by means ofropes or wires 81, 81 with the rear and front portions of the frame 80.

In starting the ascent of this machine, the hand-wheel 78 is turned sothat the front of the aeroplane 71 will be elevated. When the properheight is attained, the aeroplane is brought back to its normalsubstantially horizontal position. lVhen the front or back of themachine tilts downward, the pendulum 80 will bring the vessel back toits normal position by reason of the extensions 52 being connected withthe frame. When tilting laterally, the same conditions will exist whichhad been described in connection with the aeroplane shown in Fig. 4 ofthe drawings.

In the modification shown in Figs. 9 and 10 0f the drawings, the frameof the machine is indicated by the numeral 82. This frame is mountedupon wheels 83, 83, and carries on its front top portion a motor 84, tothe shaft 85 of which is keyed a screw propeller 86. The glider frame 87is mounted upon a shaft 88, which is oscillatably journaled in the frameportions 89, 89. To this shaft is attached a pendulum 90, carrying uponits lower end a seat 91. In front of this seat is arranged a stationarytransverse bar 92.

In starting the glide of this machine, the operator takes hold of thestationary bar 92 and draws the pendulum toward said bar, whereby thefront portion of the glider frame 87 will be raised. When at the properheight, the operator brings the aeroplane back to its normal position byletting the transverse bar go. When the frame of this machine tiltsdownward in front or rear, the aeroplane 87, which is governed by thependulum 90, will tend to bring the frame with the parts thereon back totheir normal positions.

Referring now to the modification shown in Figs. 11 to 15, inclusive,the numeral 93 denotes the main frame of the apparatus, mounted uponwheels 94 and 95. A screw propeller 96 is provided, its shaft 97 carriesa sprocket wheel 98, engaged by a chain 99, meshing with a sprocketwheel 100, mounted upon the crankshaft of the motor 101. The gliderframe 102 is pivoted at 103 to the frame of the apparatus, and upon oneof its pivots is arranged a worm gear 104, meshing with a worm 105,which is made integral with or attached to an operating rod 106, thelower end of which is provided with a hand-wheel 107, in front of theoperators seat 108, which is carried by the pendulum 109. The upper endof this pendulum is fork-shaped, and in its prongs 110, 110 isoscillatably mounted a cross 111. The arms 112, 112 of the cross, whichextend at right angles to those arms which are mounted upon the prongs110, are oscillatably journaled in the prongs 113, 113 of a fork 114.This fork is fulcrumed at 115 to lugs 116, 116, carried by the mainframe of the vessel. The fulcrum 115 of the fork 114 is in the plane ofthe upper ends of the prongs 110, 110 of the pendulum 109 for a purposewhich will be presently described. The upper end of the fork 114 isconnected by wires 117, 117 with the front and rear portions of theframe 93, while the upper ends of the prongs 110, 110 are connected bywires 118,118 with the side bars 119, 119 of the frame 93.

When the machine tilts in front or in the back downward, the pendulumwill swing around the fulcrum 116 of the fork 114. The flexibleconnection 117, being connected with the front and rear portions of theframe, will thereby tend to restore the equilibrium of the vessel. Sincethe connections 118 lead to the plane of the fulcrum 115, the side framemembers 119 will not be influenced by this movement of the pendulum.lVhen the machine tilts laterally, the pendulum will swing around thosepivots which are journaled in the prongs 110, 110, whereby, due to theconnections 118 with the side frames 119, the vessel will be broughtback to its normal position. When swinging laterally, of course, theconnections 117, 117 are not acted upon by the pendulum.

It is to be noted that owing to the weight of the pendulum, the centerof gravity of the apparatus is low, whereby the said pendulum tends tokeep the frame stable.

A further modification is shown in Figs. 16 and 17, in which a frame 120is mounted upon wheels 121. The screw propeller 122 is keyed to a shaft123, which is journaled in bearings 124. A sprocket wheel 125 isattached to the shaft 123 and meshes with a chain 126, engaging asprocket wheel 127 upon the shaft 128 of a motor 129. The aeroplane 130is provided with trunmons 131, which are rotatably journaled in the topportion of the frame 120. A pinion 132, attached to one of the trunnions131, meshes with a rack 133 out upon a bar 134, which is slidablyarranged in guides 134. The lower end of the bar 134 is provided with aseries of holes 135, adapted to be engaged by a peg 136, which can beseated in a recess 137 of a bracket 138. By means of this arrangement,the aeroplane can be shifted around its trunnions 131, and held in anydesired positions.

The aeroplane 130 is curved, as clearly shown in Fig. 16, and isprovided upon the underside of its front portion with a secondary plane139, which is located substantially parallel with the front portion ofthe aeroplane. The purpose of this secondary aeroplane is to guide theair below the aeroplane in the proper direction to the lower surface ofthe same.

Upon the bottom bars of the frame is arranged a substantially horizontalsupport 140, upon which is shiftably mounted a seat 141 adapted to beheld in position by a set screw 142, engaging said seat and the support140. The purpose of this arrangement of the seat is to properly balancethe aeroplane. Of course, the proper position of the seat 141 can befound by experimenting onl The device shown in Figs. 18 and 19 differsfrom the one shown in Figs. 16 and 17 in that two sets of glider frames143, 143 are provided, one set being arranged above the other, andconnected at their rear and front portions by flexible connections 144,1.44. The trunnions 145 of the two sets of aeroplanes are oscillatablyarranged in the main frame of the apparatus, and provided with wormgears 146, 146, which mesh with worms 147, 147, carried by an operatingrod 148, which is rotatably journaled in bearings 149. The lower end ofthe operating rod is provided with a hand-wheel 150, which is, ofcourse, arranged within the reach of the operator, who occupies the seat151, mounted in the same manner upon the vessel as the seat shown inFig. 16 of the drawings.

When the aerial vessel descends to the ground, it is desirable tosupport the glider frames 143 if they are of large dimensions. For thispurpose a bar 152 is attached to each lower glider frame 143, the lowerend of said bar carrying wheels 153 which are adapted to rest upon theground to properly support the lower glider frames when reaching theground.

To protect the aviator from air currents, a wind-shield 154 may beemployed in front of the machine, which shield may be substantiallywedge-shaped to direct the air currents above and under the aviator.

It is obvious that more than one screw propeller may be employed, andthat in such cases all of the same may be acted upon by the pendulum;for instance propellers may be mounted in front and in the rear of thevessels, and shifted in the manner described by a pendulum.

lVhat I claim is 1. In an aerial vessel, the combination with a mainframe, of a glider frame arranged thereon, a motor pivotally attached tosaid main frame, a screw propeller secured to the crankshaft of saidmotor, an auxiliary poiser frame fulcrumed to said main frame, apendulum supported by said main frame, the lower free end of saidpendulum being formed as a seat for the open ator, and connectionsbetween said pendulum, said motor and said auxiliary poiser frame,respectively, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In an aerial vessel, the combination with a main frame, of a gliderframe arranged thereon, a motor pivotally attached to said main frame, ascrew propeller attached to the crankshaft of said motor, a pendulumsupported by said main frame and adapted to swing in directions at rightangles to each other around two pivots, an upwardly extending barrigidly fastened to one of said pivots, a connecting rod pivoted to saidbar and said motor, and connections between said pendulum and saidglider frame, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 30th day of August, A. D. 1911.

LAZAR LUKAos.

W'itnesses W. KLINK, SIGMUND Hnnzoe.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

